The English Football League (EFL) has been forced to rearrange three domestic fixtures, including two Carabao Cup third-round ties, following a scheduling conflict with a UEFA Champions League match.
The EFL has accused UEFA of an "unwillingness to cooperate" after Liverpool and Atletico Madrid's Champions League clash was announced for 9 September. This date was already set for Everton v Wolves in the Carabao Cup, creating a conflict as Everton and Liverpool cannot play home fixtures on the same evening.
As a result, the Everton v Wolves Carabao Cup tie, Liverpool v Tottenham in the Carabao Cup, and Wolves v Portsmouth in the Championship have all been rescheduled. The EFL stated that discussions with UEFA on Monday morning made it clear they were unwilling to consider rescheduling the Champions League fixture due to the impact on overseas supporters.
UEFA, in response, insisted it "always does its best to accommodate reasonable requests." However, the European governing body stated that the "potential conflict" only became apparent after fixtures were published, at which point changes were no longer possible, particularly given international travel and accommodation arrangements.
Everton v Wolves is now set for Wednesday, 16 September. Liverpool v Tottenham, originally scheduled for 16 September, will now be played a day earlier, and Wolves v Portsmouth, also initially due on 16 September, will take place on 20 October.